The Sky Hop Bus is a bus that travels around the main tourist spots in Kyoto. There are two routes: the West Line, which runs along the west side of the city, and the East Line, which runs along the east side. There are 22 buses in operation every day. Some of these buses have roofs, while others do not.
These buses are very convenient for beginners to Kyoto, as they circulate the major tourist spots. On a fine day, it is comfortable and great to ride on the second floor of the roofless buses.If you want to ride on a roofless bus, ask the Sky Hop Bus staff which buses are roofless buses on the day of the tour and they will tell you.
Tickets Fees（Revised on March 1, 2025）
To get on the bus, you must purchase a ticket.
There are one-day and two-day tickets. Seats cannot be reserved.
| Adult | Child | |
| 1-day ticket | 4,300 yen | 2,200 yen |
| 2-day ticket | 6,500 yen | 3,300 yen |
How to purchase tickets
Tickets can be purchased on the SKY Hop Bus website, at ticket counters at bus stops, and on the bus (from the conductor).
Payment
Cash or credit card (Traffic IC cards are not available).
Caution:
The validity period of a 1-day or 2-day ticket is not 24 or 48 hours from the time of purchase. The validity period of a 1-day ticket is only for that day, and that day and the next day for a 2-day ticket.
Bus stop
The Sky Hop Bus stops are marked with the Sky Hop Bus logo. However, please note that the Shijo-Karasuma / Nishiki Market bus stops are shared with the city bus.
The Shijo-Karasuma / Nishiki Market bus stops, which are shared with the city bus, have a roof. Also, the Sky Hop Bus logo is small and hard to see.
The place where you get off the bus is the same as the place where you get on the bus. There is one Shijo-Karasuma/Nishiki Market bus stop on the west line and one on the east line. Also, please be careful as the locations are on opposite sides of the intersection and are a little far apart.
WEST Line（Route and bus stops）
1.Kyoto Station(Karasuma Exit)
The Karasuma exit of Kyoto Station is the starting point and the final destination for the West and East Lines. The boarding platforms for both lines are the same.
<Nearest Spot>
Kyoto tower
Porta(Shopping/Dining)
ISETAN(Shopping/Dining)
<Nearest Station>
JR Kyoto Station(JR line/3 min. walk),Kyoto Station(Subway Karasuma line/3 min. walk)
2.Nishi Hongan-ji Temple
<Nearest Spot>
Nishihongan-ji Temple
Kyoto Tokyu Hotel
3.Nijo-jo Castle
<Nearest Spot>
Nijo-jo Castle
Nijo-jinya(Ninja house)
Sanjokai-shotengai(Local shopping district)
Mikane shrine(Golden shrine)
<Nearest Station>
Nijo-jo-mae station (Subway Tozai line/1 min. walk)
4.Kitano-tenmangu Shrine
<Nearest Spot>
Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
Kami-shichiken(Geishagirl district)
<Nearest Station>
Kitano-hakubaicho station (Randen Kitano line/5 min. walk)
5.Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion)
<Nearest Spot>
Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Temple).
6.Daitoku-ji Temple
<Nearest Spot>
Daitoku-ji Temple
Imamiya Shrine (you should try the famous Aburi-mochi rice cake)
7.Kyoto Imperial Palace
<Nearest Spot>
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Shusui-tei (located at the southwest corner of Kyoto Gyoen)
Ruins of the Kan-in no Miya Family Residence (located at the southwest corner of the Kyoto Imperial Palace)
Kyoto Sento Gosho (reservation required)
Kyoto State Guest House
<Nearest Station>
Imadegawa Station (Subway Karasuma Line/1 min. walk)
8.Shijo-Karasuma/Nishiki Market
This bus stop is in front of the Sugi Pharmacy.
To get to Nishiki Market, get off the bus and turn left at the first traffic light in the direction the bus was going. Walk straight for about 5 minutes and you will reach the west entrance to Nishiki Market.
<Nearest Spot>
Nishiki Market
Teramachi-dori Street(Shopping/Dining)
Shinkyogoku-dori Street(Shopping/Dining)
Samurai Museum
※The Shijo-Karasuma and Nishiki Market bus stops are also used for city buses.
<Nearest Station>
Shijo Station (Subway Karasuma Line/3 min. walk)
EAST Line (Route and bus stops)
1.Kyoto Station(Karasuma Exit)
The Karasuma exit of Kyoto Station is the starting point and the final destination for the West and East Lines. The boarding platforms for both lines are the same.
<Nearest Spot>
Kyoto tower
Porta(Shopping/Dining)
ISETAN(Shopping/Dining)
<Nearest Station>
JR Kyoto Station(JR line/3 min. walk),Kyoto Station(Subway Karasuma line/3 min. walk)
2.Karasuma Gojo
There are no tourist attractions in the area around the Karasuma-Gojo bus stop.
3.Shijo Karasuma/Nishiki Market
To get to Nishiki Market, get off the bus and turn right at the first traffic light in the direction the bus was going. Walk straight for about 5 minutes and you will reach the west entrance to Nishiki Market.
<Nearest Spot>
Nishiki Market
Teramachi-dori Street(Shopping/Dining)
Shinkyogoku-dori Street(Shopping/Dining)
Samurai Museum
※The Shijo-Karasuma and Nishiki Market bus stops are also used for city buses.
<Nearest Station>
Shijo Station (Subway Karasuma Line/3 min. walk)
4.Kyoto City Hall
This bus stop is a little hard to find. The 7-Eleven convenience store and the Zest underground shopping center, Exit 9 are good landmarks. The bus stop is located between Exit 9 of the Zest underground shopping center and the road.
<Nearest Spot>
Teramachi-dori Street(Shopping/Dining)
Shinkyogoku-dori Street(Shopping/Dining)
5.Ginkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion)
<Nearest Spot>
Ginkaku-ji Temple
Hakusason-so (Japanese garden right in front of the approach to the path)
Philosophy Path
6.Heian-jingu Shrine/Okazaki Park
<Nearest Spot>
Heian-jingu Shrine
Heian-jingu Shrine garden
Eikando Temple (beautiful autumn leaves and blue maples)
Kyoto Handicraft Center (traditional Japanese crafts)
Okazaki-jinja Shrine (rabbits are messengers of God)
Nanze-ji Temple
Murin-an (Japanese garden, reservation required)
<Nearest Station>
Higashiyama Station (Subway Tozai line/15 min. walk)
7.Gion
It is a 5-minute walk from the Gion bus stop to Hanamikoji in the Gion area. It is about a 3-minute walk from Hanamikoji to Tatsumi Bridge.
<Nearest Spot>
Gion area (Hanami-koji, Gion-shinbashi, Tatsumi-bashi Bridge),
Yasaka-jinja Shrine
<Nearest Station>
Gion-shijo Station(Keihan line/10 min. walk)
Kyoto Kawaramachi Station(Hankyu line/15 min. walk)
8.Gojozaka/Kiyomizu-dera Temple
The landmark for this bus stop is the FamilyMart convenience store. The name of the bus stop is Gojo-zaka, but there is nothing worth seeing on Gojo-zaka itself, to be honest.
To get to Kiyomizudera, get off the bus and head for the second traffic light in the opposite direction to the bus’s travel. Turn right at that second traffic light and you’ll find a narrow uphill road. You’ll see Yasakano-toh in front of you, and the scenery will be very Kyoto-like.
From this narrow uphill road, head for Kiyomizudera via Sannen-zaka and Kiyomizu-michi. When you return to the bus stop, go down Kiyomizu-michi, and when you get to Higashioji, turn left and you’ll see the Family Mart convenience store that marks the bus stop.
<Nearest Spot>
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Sannen-zaka
Ninen-zaka
Gojo-zaka
９.Sanjusangendo Temple/National Museum
<Nearest Spot>
Sanjusangen-do Temple
Kyoto National Museum
Other Notes
1.There are two types of buses that will be dispatched: open buses without roofs and covered buses.
2.Unfortunately, seats cannot be reserved.
3.All passengers must be seated while the bus is in motion. The number of seats on each bus is limited, so sometimes it is impossible to board when the bus is full.
4.Roofless buses will operate in rain, extreme heat, or extreme cold. When it rains, ponchos are distributed to passengers.
5.For safety while driving, rain umbrellas and parasols are not available when boarding the bus.
